1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a continuous vacuum processing apparatus for continuously plasma processing or deposition processing in a vacuum various objects including plastic parts, such as polyethylene terephthalate films, natural and synthetic fibers, and steel plates to be coated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,792 discloses a continuous vacuum processing apparatus of the above-described type which has a slit-type sealing device. The slit-type sealing device of this apparatus only provides sealing thereof, and no consideration is given to damage to the material to be processed, which may be caused by contact of the sealing portion therewith, making the apparatus unsuitable for use in processing high quality materials such as transparent conductive films. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4866/1987 discloses another type of continuous vacuum processing apparatus. This apparatus, however, does not include means for detecting the tension of the material to be processed, and therefore is disadvantageous in that the material to be processed may be slack or wrinkled. It also suffers from the problem that the material to be processed may be damaged by dust entering the slit.